5 Saints who were put on the fast track to canonization

The process to canonize an individual can take centuries, while with other cases, it only takes a matter of years. In fact, a few saints were canonized within just one year of their deaths.

One reason for this is that the canonization process has grown organically over the centuries, taking shape as the Church matured and listened to the movements of the Holy Spirit.

Most saints who were widely recognized by the very early Church were martyrs, as Christianity was fiercely persecuted by the Roman Empire. The faithful looked to these heroes as examples to imitate, and reminders of their own call to sacrifice.

Over time, the Church further developed in regard to saints, first recognizing the holiness of men and women who did not die a martyr's death, and then later formulating a procedure to sift through the numerous cases in which someone was considered a saint.

Initially local bishops were able to canonize individuals, but later that changed when the pope reserved to himself the right to canonize.

This formalization did not occur until the 12th century, and was later refined in the 18th century, resulting in a process similar to how saints are canonized in the present day, requiring two verified miracles and an investigation into the holiness of their life.

At the same time, throughout this history the Church has been open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sometimes expediting a cause when it was obvious to a large number of people that the individual was a saint to be imitated.

Here are the five examples of saints who were put on the fast track to sainthood.

A Dominican priest martyred on April 6, 1252, St. Peter Verona was canonized by Pope Innocent IV on March 9, 1253, which was 337 days after his death.

Highly regarded during his life, St. Anthony of Padua died on June 13, 1231, and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on May 30, 1232, only 352 days after his death.

Another holy man known throughout the Church during his life, St. Francis died on October 3, 1226, and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228, two years after his death.

Similar to St. Francis, St. Clare was canonized on September 26, 1255, two years after her death.

Most saints since the 18th century have had lengthy canonization processes, but St. John Paul II is the exception, as he was canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014, nine years after his death. Already at his funeral, the faithful were insistent that he needed to be recognized a saint.